Hinge



April 30, 1940. c. T. M. HCUGH 2,199,102

. HINGE V Filed Aug. 10, 1938 awe whom Patented A' r. so, 1940 UNITED."STATES.

OFFICE HINGE Cyril 'r. M. Hough, Jamestowm N. Y., .assignor toWeber-Knapp Company, a corporation of New York Application August 10,193s, Serial No. f 224,o516

' This invention relates to an improvement in well as defining the pathof travel of the front or lid from one position to another.

Prior to this invention it has been the general practice to utilize amore or less conventional hinge in conjunction with movablebraces,supports, or adjustable rails for the purpose of properly sustaining adrop-front or lidin open or extended position. It has long been knownthat conventional hinges are inadequate for. this purpose and manydevices andattachmentsihave, therefore, been utilized to relieve hingestrain and prevent an opened or extended lid or front from saggingwhenused as a work surface.

The present inventionprovides a. hinge for pivotally securingdrop-fronts or lids to articles of furniture and incorporates means foradequately supporting the front or lid in position of use and this,therefore, constitutes one of the objects of the invention.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a hinge for thedrop-front of an article of furniture having two closely interfittingrelatively movable elements.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a hinge that isof extremely simple construction, economical to manufacture, and readilyinstallable.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be morefully understood and appreciated from a consideration of the followingspecification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and inwhich;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chest of drawers showing thedrop-front of a drawer in open position and supported through the use ofone modification of a hinge construction embodied in the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the hinge, showing theposition of the elements when the drop-front is in closed position;

Figure 3 is a further side elevational view showing the hinge elementsin the position of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the hinge;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the modification of Figure 4,being taken substantially on the line 5--5 of that figure; and

Figure 6 is aside elevational view of one of the elements of themodification shown in Figure 4. One form of the present invention isshown apby; the reference numeral Ill. The article of furniture may beof any type, such as a table, desk, secretary; or the chest of drawersillustrated. The invention is applied to a drawer -l I having a front 12that is adapted to swingdownwardly into the same horizontal planeas thebottom Hi to serve as a work surface. A pair of hinges l l serve tosupport .the front l2 in open or closed position. Any latch, such as theone indicated at l6, may be utilized to secure the frontjl2 'in'closedposition,.thus facilitating use of the drawer inthe conventional manner.

The hinge I4 is comprised of a pair of relatively movable plates orelements I! and I8. present instance, element I1 is attached to thedrawer front l2 and constitutes the movable elem'entjwhereas element" I8is attached .to the drawe'r 'proper and .is the fixed element. It willbe understood that either or both elements'may be movable withoutimpairing the use of the hinge. The ends of the drawer front illustratedoverlap the forward edges of the sides of the drawer and, therefore,when the front is closed there is no indication that the drawer llis'different from the other drawers of the chest. At each end of the lida recess [9 is formed. This recess extends from the inner to adjacentthe outer face of the front. The element I! of the hinge is mounted inthe recess and, since the recess is not the full thickness of the drawerfront, said element is concealed from View when the front is in closedposition. The element I! is formed with a body portion 2| through whicha number of openings are made to receivescrews 22 that engage the edgeof the drawer front l2. One end of the body .portion 2| terminates in anarm 23 that is laterally curved and terminates in a finger portion 24,-at the extreme end of which is a shoulder 26; The arm 23 and finger 24provide a recess 21 into which a portion of the element l8 projects.

The element 18 comprises a body portion 28 having suitable openingsthrough which screws 29 project to secure it to the side of the drawer II. The side of the drawer is formed with a recess 3| which permitslocating the element l8 fiush or within the width limits of the drawer.

One end of the body portion 28 terminates .in a

In the plied to an article of furniture generally indicated curved arm32 that is formed with a finger 33 and I shoulder 34. The arm 32 of theelement I8 is adapted to fit the contour of and be received with-

